Xiao Shanshan ran out to the front gate, poked her head out to look left and right, and seeing no one on the street, hurried back inside to close the courtyard gate and slide the wooden bolt into place.
Only then did she scurry back into the house looking nervous.
"Brother, where did you get all this money?"
Xiao Weiguo pulled a Hongtashan cigarette from its pack, clamped it between his lips, and said offhandedly, "Didn't you see? I earned it selling socks, of course."
"Selling socks can make this much money? You aren't tricking me, are you?"
Looking at the pile of colorful banknotes on the *kang*, Xiao Shanshan simply couldn't believe her eyes.
In an era when households with ten thousand yuan were still extremely rare, many people never even laid eyes on this much cash in their entire lives.
Right now, a catty of pork cost less than a yuan, and rice was only fourteen fen a catty. No matter who looked at it, this sum of money was an astronomical fortune.
Let alone for a family like theirs, who half a month ago couldn't even scrape together enough money for a bottle of soy sauce.
Xiao Weiguo lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and let out a long breath as a thick cloud of smoke instantly billowed from his lungs.
Seemingly exhaling all his pent-up worries, Xiao Weiguo replied casually, "What's this money? In the future, big brother will lead you all to make even more money and give you a good life."
Xiao Shanshan looked up at her brother with clear eyes.
A mist of tears instantly blurred her vision.
Her brother really was different now; he was no longer that local good-for-nothing. Everything he was doing right now was for the sake of this family.
Xiao Weiguo pushed the massive pile of banknotes toward his younger sister.
"Shanshan, keep this money safe. Once brother earns even more, our family will build a few big brick houses, too. Brother is going to make you live in a place even more impressive than the village chief's house."
Xiao Shanshan fluttered her small hands in a panic.
"Brother, with this much money, I wouldn't dare take it."
"What's there not to dare? I earned every bit of this through hard work, and there's nothing shameful about it. Go ahead and take it with peace of mind. I only trust you; with the money in your hands, I can rest easy."
Xiao Weiguo persisted in pushing the money toward his sister.
Seeing how stubborn he was, Xiao Shanshan didn't know what else to say. She carefully gathered the pile of money together and wrapped it up in a small cloth bundle.
After looking around in all directions, she finally hid the money away in the very bottom layer of the old wardrobe in the corner of the room.
"Brother, I've put the money right here. Whenever you need to use it, just come and take it yourself."
After struggling for so many days, he had finally won his sister's trust, and Xiao Weiguo felt a genuine wave of happiness.
Yet, this small amount of money for now wasn't enough to make his sister give up farming. Always thrifty, she pinned the family's entire hope on that meager harvest from the fields each year.
No matter how bitter or exhausting it was, she would never abandon it.
*Sigh*, he still had to work harder. When would he finally be able to let his silly little sister stop suffering like that?
The next day, Xiao Weiguo and Liu Ye each rode a bicycle and headed toward Wuxian.
Dawn was just breaking, and the morning air was cool and fresh. Mixed with the scent of crops, it put Xiao Weiguo in an incomparably cheerful mood.
"Weiguo, look, what's wrong with that old woman?"
Sharp-eyed Liu Ye stopped her bicycle and called out to the high-spirited Xiao Weiguo.
Only then did Xiao Weiguo notice an old woman of about sixty sitting by herself on the roadside not far behind them.
Her face was flushed, she was panting heavily, and from time to time she used a small handkerchief to dab away tears of sweat on her forehead.
Supposedly, with the morning air this cool, someone walking outside shouldn't be sweating this much.
Finding it rather strange, Xiao Weiguo squeezed his brakes and hopped off his bicycle.
Out of curiosity, Xiao Weiguo propped up his bike and walked over to the old woman to find out what was going on.
This was the era when the spirit of Lei Feng prevailed above all else—unlike his previous life, when nobody dared help up someone who had fallen.
Even though Xiao Weiguo carried the memories of his past life, this young body of his was equally imbued with the spirit of the times.
"Granny, why are you out here all by yourself? Are you all right?"
Xiao Weiguo asked tentatively.
The old woman raised her head, and her appearance gave Xiao Weiguo a severe shock.
Her entire face was abnormally flushed as if she had a high fever, and both eyes were bloodshot.
"Young man, I'm from Liuzhuang over there. I wanted to take advantage of the morning cool to go see my son in the county town, but halfway here I just couldn't walk anymore."
She panted as she spoke, looking as if it took a tremendous effort.
Seeing her in this state, Xiao Weiguo's heart skipped a beat, churning with towering waves of dread.
"Granny, do you feel dizzy, have pain in your eyes, and feel achy all over?"
Driven by anxiety, Xiao Weiguo's voice trembled slightly.
"Yeah, I had a bit of a cold yesterday, and after taking some medicine I felt a lot better. Who would've thought that as soon as I stepped outside today, it started up again? I'm so dizzy I can hardly stand."
The old woman's words further confirmed Xiao Weiguo's suspicions. His expression instantly turned tense.
"Granny, I'm afraid this isn't just a cold."
Judging by her current symptoms, the old woman had contracted hemorrhagic fever, better known as the plague.
Why was Xiao Weiguo so certain?
It was because his parents had died of that very plague four years ago.
In his past life, Xiao Weiguo had studied this disease extensively. He was well-versed in the symptoms of its five stages, the medications and nursing care required, as well as methods for early prevention and eradication.
The epidemic that had taken his parents' lives had left too deep an impression on him; if not for that disaster, the five siblings wouldn't have been left orphans.
Fearing that he would alarm the old woman, however, he didn't dare utter the word "plague."
"Granny, is there anyone else at home? I'll go call them for you."
Xiao Weiguo casually pushed Liu Ye back a bit. A thought had suddenly struck him.
In 1986—this very summer, right before autumn—a massive plague outbreak would erupt locally and, failing to be effectively controlled, rapidly spread across the entire province and surrounding provinces and cities.
This colossal epidemic would eventually infect millions of people and claim hundreds of thousands of lives.
Calculating the time, this was precisely the moment. If he hadn't run into this old woman, he might not have remembered it at all.
The old woman shook her head, continued panting heavily, and said, "There's only an old woman like me at home back in the village. I only have one son, and he works in the county town."
The county town was more than twenty kilometers away, and Xiao Weiguo had no idea who her son was. Trying to find him now would certainly be too late.
The terrifying thing about hemorrhagic fever was how fast it progressed; once it reached the late stages, the mortality rate was shockingly high.
Since the old woman's symptoms didn't yet include bleeding spots on her skin, it meant the disease was just beginning. If she were sent to the hospital in time, she would basically be in no danger of losing her life.
Time was pressing, and Xiao Weiguo knew he couldn't afford to delay. In the end, he gritted his teeth and turned back to tell Liu Ye.
"Liu Ye, stay here and watch our things. I'm going to carry the old woman to the township clinic on my back; if we're late, I'm afraid it'll be too late."
The township clinic was three or four *li* away, and with the old woman in this condition, she certainly couldn't ride a bicycle. With no other choice, Xiao Weiguo had no option but to carry her there on his back.
Fortunately, hemorrhagic fever was not a disease transmitted from person to person; it spread primarily through rats, parasites on rats, flies, and mosquitoes. Xiao Weiguo didn't need to worry about catching the infection by carrying the old woman on his back.
Human lives were at stake, and Liu Ye was a kind-hearted girl. Although she didn't know what illness the old woman had, seeing the grim look on Xiao Weiguo's face, she knew there was no time to waste and nodded to show she understood.
The old woman had a lean and frail figure, so carrying her on his back didn't require much effort from Xiao Weiguo.
He strode out with his long legs and sprinted all the way toward the township clinic.
"Young man, thank you so much. What's your name? When my son gets back, I'll have him properly thank you."